The Indian Maharaja 2012 

We depart London on our overnight flight to Mumbai. We arrive on Day 2 and transfer to the Leela Kempinski, our 5-star deluxe hotel, which stands in beautiful landscaped gardens close to Mumbai's business district. We dine together this evening in the hotel.

This morning we embark on a sightseeing tour of Mumbai. After a drive along the city's Marine Drive, which borders the Arabian Sea, we see the Dhobi Ghats, Mumbai's huge open-air laundry. Our final stop is at the Gandhi memorial before we enjoy lunch together. After lunch we transfer to the Deccan Odyssey, our hotel train for the next seven nights. We depart this evening for our journey northeast into Rajasthan and, as the train leaves Mumbai behind, we dine together in the Deccan Odyssey's opulent dining car.

This morning we visit Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The caves date back to 600AD and here, ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Jain culture can be experienced through the vast monasteries, temples and shrines carved into the rock face. We return to the train for lunch and enjoy an afternoon on board.

Today we visit the richly decorated Ajanta Caves; an architectural marvel and another UNESCO World Heritage site. The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut temples dating from the 2nd century AD containing paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. We return to the train for lunch, and the train journeys this afternoon through the lush countryside towards Udaipur.

Set on the shores of the pristine Lake Pichola, Udaipur is surrounded by dramatic mountainous scenery and is known as the City of Lakes. The famous City Palace, a majestic white monument, stands on the banks of the lake. This morning we take a cruise on the lake, sailing around the small island, before visiting the fascinating City Palace, originally home to the Maharani of Udaipur. We enjoy a guided tour and an afternoon at leisure. This evening we enjoy a gala dinner in the 18th century Devi Garh Palace in nearby Delwara.

After breakfast we leave the train to visit the Ranthambore National Park, to spot tigers, leopards, deer, crocodiles, vultures, eagles, kingfishers and other native wildlife. Whilst we can't guarantee a tiger sighting, the Park is one of the only places where tigers are still found in India in the wild and we take a morning and an afternoon Safari, into the Park. We return to the train for dinner.

Our stop today is the capital of Rajasthan, the Pink City of Jaipur. This morning's sightseeing includes a visit to the magnificent Amber Fort, one of three ancient hilltop forts which dominate the hills above Jaipur. It may be possible for us to ascend to the fort by elephant. Lunch is taken at a local Palace hotel. Sightseeing this afternoon includes the imposing Palace of the Winds, whose ornate façade once enabled the ladies of the royal court to observe life in the street below whilst remaining in purdah. We also visit the fascinating astronomical observatory, built in 1727 by the Maharaja of Jaipur. The City Palace, home to the current Maharaja of Jaipur is our final visit before we return to the train for dinner.

We arrive this morning at Bharatpur, near Agra. We visit Fatehpur Sikri, the ancient red sandstone city built by Akbar the Great in the 16th century as India's political capital, but deserted after only 14 years. Lunch is taken at a city hotel. This afternoon we visit the Red Fort, originating from the 15th century. Built on a hill above Agra, its centerpiece is a tower with a marble balcony. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan spent his last days imprisoned here, overlooking the Taj Mahal, the monument he built to his wife. We travel across the city to the Taj Mahal itself, one of the world's most magnificent monuments. Our guide will give us some free time to enjoy and explore this modern wonder of the world. We return to the train for dinner before we continue overnight to Delhi.

This morning we disembark the train in Delhi and visit the Qutub Minar, India's tallest stone tower built by Qutubud-din Aibak in 1199. We pass the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rastrapathi Bhawan, the President's residence. Our afternoon starts with a visit to fascinating and colourful Old Delhi, where we enjoy a rickshaw ride around the narrow streets bustling with the sounds, sights and smells of the vibrant old city. Passing the Red Fort, a World Heritage site, we then visit the Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in India. Our final visit is to Raj Ghat, a simple but moving memorial to Mahandas Gandhi, "the father of the Nation". Following our exploration of Delhi we transfer to our overnight hotel, the 5-star Claridges, where we dine together. On Day 11 we transfer to the airport in the morning for our flight to London.

We have selected award-winning airline Jet Airways to be our preferred airline on all of our India tours in 2011 and 2012. For more information about Jet Airways, click here.